About Us
After two days of very long lines in Conte Forum, all 6,000 free tickets for Modstock have been distributed, as announced by the Undergraduate Government of Boston College on April 30. Because of Macklemore's popularity as well as security concerns, UGBC made the decision to make the annual outdoor concert a ticketed event.
The line outside of Conte Forum on April 30.
Photo by Jing Xu/Gavel Media
Boston Police as well as the Boston College Police Department expressed concern about the security of the event, especially given recent events in Boston, which prompted organizers to decide to limit the number of students attending.
"After the Marathon bombings, BCPD and the city of Boston wanted to take extra precautions for this event," said Dan Rimm, co-director of UGBC campus entertainment and CSOM '13. "While it is not likely that there will be any issues, Modstock is a large-scale event and BCPD as well as the administration wants to make sure that it will be as safe as possible for BC students."
(Tweets from the Macklemore line)
Rimm said that organizers did consider moving the event to a different venue, but the only other option would have been Conte Forum, which has a lower capacity for attendees. Rimm also said that they thought it would "hurt the experience" of the event that is always held outside in the spring. Alumni Stadium was not an option, since the production equipment for a concert would damage the turf field.
Ticketing the event and limiting it to 6,000 was the best option according to organizers. The decision was made to give preference to seniors, according to Rimm. "Because we were only allocated 6,000 tickets, we made the decision to provide seniors priority access to the event since this is their last Modstock," Rimm said.
[youtube]sp7bnksRRY0[/youtube]
Rimm said that past attendance for Modstock has been estimated around 2,500 to 3,500 students, and given Macklemore's popularity, event organizers had to make changes to accommodate a much bigger and more popular act. Last year's act, Reel Big Fish, drew a much smaller crowd than is expected for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. The annual event, which usually features more low-profile artists, was given a much bigger budget this year because the spring concert was cancelled.
(Thank you UGBC: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for Modstock)
Despite these extra security measures that many students find inconvenient, UGBC is confident that students will still have a great experience. "While we are upset that these security measures are in place, we would like the Boston College student body to know that we fought as hard as possible to ensure the greatest capacity and retain the overall experience," Rimm said.
"Unfortunately at the end of the day, these measures were what were absolutely required to ensure the safety of Boston College students... we want the day to be fun and safe for BC students and we think everyone will still have a great experience!"
(Top 10 Macklemore and Ryan Lewis songs)
Meghan is a member of the class of 2013 from Cape Elizabeth, Maine. She is a Political Science major and Faith Peace and Justice minor. She joined the Gavel her sophomore year and has been an editorial assistant, News Editor, and Managing Editor. She spent her junior spring semester studying abroad in Granada, Spain. She enjoys writing political stories and covering campus events for the Gavel.
